An announcement was made during PAX 2010 late last week by Gearbox stating that both the IP had been bought and DNF would be completed in 2011. Gearbox has also decided to keep the remaining eight member team who were working on the game for years at 3D Realms. The only exception is 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard who will no longer play a part.

Such a deal may not have been possible if it wasn’t for the history Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, and CCO Brian Martel have of working at 3D Realms earlier in their careers. A statement from Broussard reflects the close relationship they have:

Gearbox was the only home appropriate for the Duke Nukem brand. They are very talented and possess the perfect perspective and understanding of the brand. Their vision for its future direction is exciting and unbelievable. I personally cannot wait for fans to see their unique take on the franchise.

Fans will also be happy to hear that Gearbox is not reinventing the game, only finishing what 3DRealms started. Pitchford said:

The game that is happening is 3D Realms’ game. I didn’t buy it from them, they sold it to me.

I think this is the best thing that could of happened to the Duke Nukem Franchise. It is in the hands of a developer experienced in creating shooters, but also a company run by former 3DRealms staff.

The videos that appeared earlier this year showed just how advanced DNF was, so Gearbox’s job is one of finishing a game, not developing a new one. We can now be very confident that after all these years DNF will be finished. Who would have thought that could of happened 6 months ago?

As Gearbox own the IP now, there’s sure to be more games in the pipeline. As a developer they may be happy to finish off DNF, but will surely want to stamp their own mark on the series with a completely new game for console and PC. That won’t appear for a couple of years after the release of DNF, but is something to look forward too.